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December 29, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tuesday's Links
Activism
Democracy for America has set up trainings in Texas, Vermont, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania (unfortunately, California occurred last week). These trainings are designed to teach grassroots activists about how to spread the Democratic message. If you live in any of these areas (particularly Virginia (Kaine for Governor), Texas (Lampson over DeLay) and Pennsylvania (Casey over Santorum)), and you care about getting progressives elected, you must attend this training. If you've signed up for Virginia, let us know!
News
Split-the-Baby. Well, it's D-Day, or rather it would be, if we hadn't reached a compromise last night. A bipartisan panel of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats fostered a deal that no one seems to be happy with. Republicans aren't happy because only three of their seven will get up-or-down votes (including Priscilla Owen). Democrats aren't happy because they were seen as having the upper hand, and then caved, and now three of the seven will get votes. Bush, however, is tickled pink, because he avoids a vote that he could have lost (for the nuclear option), and he gets three of his judges confirmed, with the possibility for more. Even the religious right isn't happy. But it's about more than that. As the New York Times writes, this is a limited victory for Bush, but now he faces more tests. Stem cells, CAFTA, Bolton, deficit spending and Social Security are all issues where Bush sits on the unpopular side of the fence. Not that that's stopped him before, but still. The only good news to come of this is that Republicans won't get an automatic entry onto the Supreme Court. Frist should be ashamed for attemtping to hijack our checks and balances process, and hopefully Americans will keep this in mind when they vote for their Senators in 2006.
The Race to Richmond. Virginia's Governor race is all but officially between two candidates - Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) and Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R). Kilgore's camp released an ad last week, accusing Kaine of raising property taxes when he was Mayor of Richmond. Kaine immediately responded with an ad, calling Kilgore's "misleading," and showing that, as Mayor, Kaine cut taxes. We've talked about how much Republicans want the Governor's seat in Virgina, and we're starting to see the smear campaign tactic. Look for more as we get closer to the vote, because if Republicans allow Kaine to run on his and Governor Mark Warner's record, he'll surely win.
Slow News Day? The Parents Television Council, who have made it their mission to decide what you can watch, is all up in arms over a new Paris Hilton commercial for Carl's Jr. The commercial features Hilton "frolicking with a water hose." It has already begun airing, so (presumably) it has passed the FCC screening process. But that's not good enough for the PTC, who has initiated a protest, urging the FCC to pull the ad. This is apprently such big news that sex fiend Bill O'Reilly couldn't stop himself from commenting on it as well. Really, it's one thing for a media watchdog group to advise people on what to watch and not watch. But protesting the FCC? If everybody protested the FCC over offensive material on television, According to Jim wouldn't have made it past the first season!
Editorials
America Wants Security. Krugman's latest may come seem to be a scattershot attempt to cover several topics, but his main point comes across solidly: Why is our government so out of touch? From Robert Ehrlich vetoing the "Wal-Mart bill" for health care, to Tom DeLay bragging about bankruptcy reform, to Schwarzenegger trying to privatize state pension plans, we're seeing numerous attempts to make (or unmake) laws that go against the average citizen. What Krugman calls the "social safety net" is not being met, and people are getting frustrated over it. Hey, there's a message Democrats can stand on - "Bringing you the Social Safety Net since 1928!"
Drowning Out the Real Issues. Terry Neal has a fantastic editorial up about the bizarro universe the White House lives in. Condemning Newsweek for their reporting on the Qur'an (Qur'angate?) brings to light the hypocrisy that burns within the White House's sanctum - blame the messenger, ignore the message. Instead of looking for the cause and expressing pathos for those killed in the Afghanistan riots, Bush and Scott McClellan are quick to blame Newsweek. Instead of responding to allegations from Rathergate, Bush allowed the press to do the work for him. Instead of admitting that the intelligence from "Curveball" wasn't accurate, and thus admitting the War in Iraq was based on a bad source, Rumsfeld has kept mum. We all know that this administration rarely (if ever) admits mistakes, but this is bordering on absurd. If you believe that there's a liberal bias in the media, how do you explain the Washington Post's 415 cover stories on Monicagate? How do you explain this so-called liberal media missing the chance to put Bush in his place by not asking for accountability on Curveball? No one is saying that Newsweek is entirely without fault here. What we're saying is that Isikoff's article brought to light the hypocrisy of this administration, and re-raised the question of why we aren't holding the White House more accountible for it's actions.
Hocking a Lugar. Just who is Richard Lugar? His website identifies him as a five-term Republican Senator from Indiana. He is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Rhodes scholar, a former mayor if Indianapolis, and has four children. Lugar comes across as a pretty intelligent man, political party notwithstanding. So it's amazing that Lugar came out of the John Bolton confirmation looking like a lame duck. Michael Steinberger writes that Lugar was portrayed as the "hapless straight arrow" nocked to do what the White House aims him to do, which is nonsense. Lugar's been around long enough and has enough clout that he doesn't need to be the White House's lapdog. Yet that's exactly what he was. The fact that Bolton is not qualified for the position of U.N. Ambassador was completely overshadowed by his questions of conduct, and there Lugar lost it. Lugar can be considered the "anti-Bolton," as Steniberger writes. But thanks to his cowardice, Bolton now goes before the Senate in a full vote.
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December 29, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Tuesday's Links
Activism
Democracy for America has set up trainings in Texas, Vermont, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania (unfortunately, California occurred last week). These trainings are designed to teach grassroots activists about how to spread the Democratic message. If you live in any of these areas (particularly Virginia (Kaine for Governor), Texas (Lampson over DeLay) and Pennsylvania (Casey over Santorum)), and you care about getting progressives elected, you must attend this training. If you've signed up for Virginia, let us know!
News
Split-the-Baby. Well, it's D-Day, or rather it would be, if we hadn't reached a compromise last night. A bipartisan panel of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats fostered a deal that no one seems to be happy with. Republicans aren't happy because only three of their seven will get up-or-down votes (including Priscilla Owen). Democrats aren't happy because they were seen as having the upper hand, and then caved, and now three of the seven will get votes. Bush, however, is tickled pink, because he avoids a vote that he could have lost (for the nuclear option), and he gets three of his judges confirmed, with the possibility for more. Even the religious right isn't happy. But it's about more than that. As the New York Times writes, this is a limited victory for Bush, but now he faces more tests. Stem cells, CAFTA, Bolton, deficit spending and Social Security are all issues where Bush sits on the unpopular side of the fence. Not that that's stopped him before, but still. The only good news to come of this is that Republicans won't get an automatic entry onto the Supreme Court. Frist should be ashamed for attemtping to hijack our checks and balances process, and hopefully Americans will keep this in mind when they vote for their Senators in 2006.
The Race to Richmond. Virginia's Governor race is all but officially between two candidates - Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) and Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R). Kilgore's camp released an ad last week, accusing Kaine of raising property taxes when he was Mayor of Richmond. Kaine immediately responded with an ad, calling Kilgore's "misleading," and showing that, as Mayor, Kaine cut taxes. We've talked about how much Republicans want the Governor's seat in Virgina, and we're starting to see the smear campaign tactic. Look for more as we get closer to the vote, because if Republicans allow Kaine to run on his and Governor Mark Warner's record, he'll surely win.
Slow News Day? The Parents Television Council, who have made it their mission to decide what you can watch, is all up in arms over a new Paris Hilton commercial for Carl's Jr. The commercial features Hilton "frolicking with a water hose." It has already begun airing, so (presumably) it has passed the FCC screening process. But that's not good enough for the PTC, who has initiated a protest, urging the FCC to pull the ad. This is apprently such big news that sex fiend Bill O'Reilly couldn't stop himself from commenting on it as well. Really, it's one thing for a media watchdog group to advise people on what to watch and not watch. But protesting the FCC? If everybody protested the FCC over offensive material on television, According to Jim wouldn't have made it past the first season!
Editorials
America Wants Security. Krugman's latest may come seem to be a scattershot attempt to cover several topics, but his main point comes across solidly: Why is our government so out of touch? From Robert Ehrlich vetoing the "Wal-Mart bill" for health care, to Tom DeLay bragging about bankruptcy reform, to Schwarzenegger trying to privatize state pension plans, we're seeing numerous attempts to make (or unmake) laws that go against the average citizen. What Krugman calls the "social safety net" is not being met, and people are getting frustrated over it. Hey, there's a message Democrats can stand on - "Bringing you the Social Safety Net since 1928!"
Drowning Out the Real Issues. Terry Neal has a fantastic editorial up about the bizarro universe the White House lives in. Condemning Newsweek for their reporting on the Qur'an (Qur'angate?) brings to light the hypocrisy that burns within the White House's sanctum - blame the messenger, ignore the message. Instead of looking for the cause and expressing pathos for those killed in the Afghanistan riots, Bush and Scott McClellan are quick to blame Newsweek. Instead of responding to allegations from Rathergate, Bush allowed the press to do the work for him. Instead of admitting that the intelligence from "Curveball" wasn't accurate, and thus admitting the War in Iraq was based on a bad source, Rumsfeld has kept mum. We all know that this administration rarely (if ever) admits mistakes, but this is bordering on absurd. If you believe that there's a liberal bias in the media, how do you explain the Washington Post's 415 cover stories on Monicagate? How do you explain this so-called liberal media missing the chance to put Bush in his place by not asking for accountability on Curveball? No one is saying that Newsweek is entirely without fault here. What we're saying is that Isikoff's article brought to light the hypocrisy of this administration, and re-raised the question of why we aren't holding the White House more accountible for it's actions.
Hocking a Lugar. Just who is Richard Lugar? His website identifies him as a five-term Republican Senator from Indiana. He is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Rhodes scholar, a former mayor if Indianapolis, and has four children. Lugar comes across as a pretty intelligent man, political party notwithstanding. So it's amazing that Lugar came out of the John Bolton confirmation looking like a lame duck. Michael Steinberger writes that Lugar was portrayed as the "hapless straight arrow" nocked to do what the White House aims him to do, which is nonsense. Lugar's been around long enough and has enough clout that he doesn't need to be the White House's lapdog. Yet that's exactly what he was. The fact that Bolton is not qualified for the position of U.N. Ambassador was completely overshadowed by his questions of conduct, and there Lugar lost it. Lugar can be considered the "anti-Bolton," as Steniberger writes. But thanks to his cowardice, Bolton now goes before the Senate in a full vote.
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December 29, 2005
Democracy for America has set up trainings in Texas, Vermont, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania (unfortunately, California occurred last week). These trainings are designed to teach grassroots activists about how to spread the Democratic message. If you live in any of these areas (particularly Virginia (Kaine for Governor), Texas (Lampson over DeLay) and Pennsylvania (Casey over Santorum)), and you care about getting progressives elected, you must attend this training. If you've signed up for Virginia, let us know!
News
Split-the-Baby. Well, it's D-Day, or rather it would be, if we hadn't reached a compromise last night. A bipartisan panel of 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats fostered a deal that no one seems to be happy with. Republicans aren't happy because only three of their seven will get up-or-down votes (including Priscilla Owen). Democrats aren't happy because they were seen as having the upper hand, and then caved, and now three of the seven will get votes. Bush, however, is tickled pink, because he avoids a vote that he could have lost (for the nuclear option), and he gets three of his judges confirmed, with the possibility for more. Even the religious right isn't happy. But it's about more than that. As the New York Times writes, this is a limited victory for Bush, but now he faces more tests. Stem cells, CAFTA, Bolton, deficit spending and Social Security are all issues where Bush sits on the unpopular side of the fence. Not that that's stopped him before, but still. The only good news to come of this is that Republicans won't get an automatic entry onto the Supreme Court. Frist should be ashamed for attemtping to hijack our checks and balances process, and hopefully Americans will keep this in mind when they vote for their Senators in 2006.
The Race to Richmond. Virginia's Governor race is all but officially between two candidates - Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) and Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R). Kilgore's camp released an ad last week, accusing Kaine of raising property taxes when he was Mayor of Richmond. Kaine immediately responded with an ad, calling Kilgore's "misleading," and showing that, as Mayor, Kaine cut taxes. We've talked about how much Republicans want the Governor's seat in Virgina, and we're starting to see the smear campaign tactic. Look for more as we get closer to the vote, because if Republicans allow Kaine to run on his and Governor Mark Warner's record, he'll surely win.
Slow News Day? The Parents Television Council, who have made it their mission to decide what you can watch, is all up in arms over a new Paris Hilton commercial for Carl's Jr. The commercial features Hilton "frolicking with a water hose." It has already begun airing, so (presumably) it has passed the FCC screening process. But that's not good enough for the PTC, who has initiated a protest, urging the FCC to pull the ad. This is apprently such big news that sex fiend Bill O'Reilly couldn't stop himself from commenting on it as well. Really, it's one thing for a media watchdog group to advise people on what to watch and not watch. But protesting the FCC? If everybody protested the FCC over offensive material on television, According to Jim wouldn't have made it past the first season!
Editorials
America Wants Security. Krugman's latest may come seem to be a scattershot attempt to cover several topics, but his main point comes across solidly: Why is our government so out of touch? From Robert Ehrlich vetoing the "Wal-Mart bill" for health care, to Tom DeLay bragging about bankruptcy reform, to Schwarzenegger trying to privatize state pension plans, we're seeing numerous attempts to make (or unmake) laws that go against the average citizen. What Krugman calls the "social safety net" is not being met, and people are getting frustrated over it. Hey, there's a message Democrats can stand on - "Bringing you the Social Safety Net since 1928!"
Drowning Out the Real Issues. Terry Neal has a fantastic editorial up about the bizarro universe the White House lives in. Condemning Newsweek for their reporting on the Qur'an (Qur'angate?) brings to light the hypocrisy that burns within the White House's sanctum - blame the messenger, ignore the message. Instead of looking for the cause and expressing pathos for those killed in the Afghanistan riots, Bush and Scott McClellan are quick to blame Newsweek. Instead of responding to allegations from Rathergate, Bush allowed the press to do the work for him. Instead of admitting that the intelligence from "Curveball" wasn't accurate, and thus admitting the War in Iraq was based on a bad source, Rumsfeld has kept mum. We all know that this administration rarely (if ever) admits mistakes, but this is bordering on absurd. If you believe that there's a liberal bias in the media, how do you explain the Washington Post's 415 cover stories on Monicagate? How do you explain this so-called liberal media missing the chance to put Bush in his place by not asking for accountability on Curveball? No one is saying that Newsweek is entirely without fault here. What we're saying is that Isikoff's article brought to light the hypocrisy of this administration, and re-raised the question of why we aren't holding the White House more accountible for it's actions.
Hocking a Lugar. Just who is Richard Lugar? His website identifies him as a five-term Republican Senator from Indiana. He is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a Rhodes scholar, a former mayor if Indianapolis, and has four children. Lugar comes across as a pretty intelligent man, political party notwithstanding. So it's amazing that Lugar came out of the John Bolton confirmation looking like a lame duck. Michael Steinberger writes that Lugar was portrayed as the "hapless straight arrow" nocked to do what the White House aims him to do, which is nonsense. Lugar's been around long enough and has enough clout that he doesn't need to be the White House's lapdog. Yet that's exactly what he was. The fact that Bolton is not qualified for the position of U.N. Ambassador was completely overshadowed by his questions of conduct, and there Lugar lost it. Lugar can be considered the "anti-Bolton," as Steniberger writes. But thanks to his cowardice, Bolton now goes before the Senate in a full vote.
